The Adventures of Claw, the Cheetah
by Slifer123574
Summary: It had been two years since the Dark Master's defeat. Now the Realms faced a new and perhaps more dangerous threat than ever before, and this changes the life of a gifted young cheetah forever... Rated M for vivid violence. Not for the faint of heart. Chapter 1 complete.
1. Chapter 1: Mysterious Creatures

**A/N : The first part of this chapter was supposed to act as a sort of teaser. Mostly to try out the story upload system and partly to give you a taste of my writing. But since hardly anyone even looked at this during the first day of its publishing (as to be expected), there really isn't any point to separating the chapter. I do so to keep a record of my updates.**

**Don't know how I'll go with this but I hope I don't give up on this project at least. It was a risk I took as soon as I uploaded this. I didn't do any heavy editing, so there may be some mistakes here and there. Sorry 'bout that.**

**Anyways, this is set quite a while after Malefor's defeat (if you hadn't already read this). There is actually one more fictional plot that this story will crossover into, as well as a few OCs from other authors (that is, if I can get their permission to use them :P). These OCs will probably be used to fill in only minor character roles because I really just can't be bothered coming up with new characters. That, and I absolutely love what the other authors have written! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any original characters from TLoS Series, or any other story that is mentioned here (I don't want to name names to spoil the story, I'll reveal it after about... mmm... a few chapters)**

**OC Shoutouts: None, yet, lol!**

**Chapter 1: Mysterious Creatures**

It was around midday, however the sun's rays were nowhere to be found. Thanks in part could be owed to the thin layer of mist surrounding the Valley of Avalar, and maybe also to the shamans of the nearby village sprouting words of bad omens and misfortune. The mist counted as one of them, for it was an unusual sight to see in Avalar's picturesque scenery. Conditions for hunting had already been made bad enough as a result, but for there to be an unprecedented shortage of game in the area... Every day since the forests had been shrouded, hunting parties returned with progressively lesser portions of meat.

It couldn't have been the natives' fault for this unexpected event. They had gone through great lengths to prevent such an issue happening. Under this assumption, surely the senile shamans were speaking the truth: that the Valley of Avalar is experiencing some sort of bad luck. However, that did not stop a foolhardy cheetah from venturing into the unknown veil. His fur was dark-red and dotted with black ringlets. He wasn't alone, either. His partner, a light-blue cheetah, followed closely behind. They were both armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows and they wore the usual attire for cheetahs of their tribe, the dark-red wearing green cloth and the blue wearing brown. Both were also concealed by soft leather cloaks with hoods covering their faces. Only their short muzzles could be seen clearly.

"Can you smell anything, Claw?" The blue one asked.

The red cheetah known as Claw halted and paused for a bit, taking a short whiff of the air around him.

"We're close," He replied, "only a few more hills."

His partner grinned in earnest of the news. They had been hunting for a few days, without any luck whatsoever, and had lived on the measly amount of fish that they had caught in the river near their village. Even the rivers it seemed could not hide from the misfortune that had spread across Claw's homeland. The two cheetahs silently but swiftly ran through the brush, all the while readying their bows which were made of oak wood. The shafts of their arrows were made of the same material and stone was used for the heads. It did the job well enough and it was an abundant material, and it certainly came cheaper than the small amounts of metal bought from the merchants and traders.

After running for some distance, Claw brought his partner to a halt behind a clump of bushes. They had located their prey. Out only a few yards in front of them stood a single deer feeding on a patch of grass. Claw decided to wait for a few seconds; it was still oblivious to their presence. He eyed his partner and signalled with his right paw to flank the deer in case he missed and it made a break for it-or to end its suffering. Although this detail probably wasn't even necessary for a hunter of Claw's calibre. Simply put... He rarely ever missed a shot. He was deadly with a bow, more so than his peers, and probably even the older and more experienced ones. Almost no one wanted to challenge him to games that involved some degree of archery. _'Probably for the best,'_ Claw though, chuckling. His partner, however, complied without nary a word to say.

After they were both in position, Claw produced an arrow from his quiver and nocked it onto his bow. He slowly drew it as he aimed for the deer straight at its neck. He took one long breath to relax himself and released the arrow. The deer couldn't even take a step. It died instantly, landing limply on the ground with a satisfying thud. Claw quickly ran over the bushes to inspect his kill, when suddenly he heard an ear-piercing scream coming from the direction of his partner. He quickly changed direction to where the sound was coming from and started yelling his partner's name. He was expecting the worst. Perhaps bandits had taken his life, or he had ingested something he wasn't supposed to. What he saw instead shocked and disgusted him to no end. His partner hung in mid-air, back arched, by a bloody curved blade jutting from his belly. Claw traced the blade to its owner, a large hideous contorted form with only its four limbs being distinguishable. The sounds it made were unintelligible. A putrid odour filled Claw's nostrils but that was the least of his problems. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't alone, two more appeared through thickets from either side of the creature. None of their abstract body shapes were identical to the other. A shadowy haze surrounded each of their figures. Instinctively, he fired an arrow at the murderer. The arrow hit straight at its heart, but the beast neither wavered not faltered, like hitting a large boulder. He took two more shots at the same place, but to no avail. Upon realising the ineffectiveness of ordinary weapons, Claw was petrified. Many emotions flooded through his mind at once: Anger, hatred, fear, even the thought of leaving the deer behind nagged at him slightly. But there was no time for preparing, no time for mourning. His only option now was to run, and that he did. However, the creatures also decided to give chase. He heard a soft buzzing in his head, but quickly shook it off, thinking it came from his pursuers.

How their size bellied their speed and agility. Claw was surprised at how they were able to keep up with his pace. No quick turns or double backs could shake them off for long. It seemed almost effortless for them. The mist shrouded most of his view, but it was only because of his lightning-quick reflexes that he was able to dodge any obstacles that could've been seen in plain sight.

He'd already ran for a few minutes and slowly his adrenaline wore out and he was tiring. He could hear their icy shrieks as if they were right next to him. Moreover, the buzzing in his mind became stronger and stronger. Claw suddenly felt the urge to make a left turn. He turned and darted through the woods. The next thing he knew he hit a group of vines strewn along a cliff-face. Thinking he'd hit a wall, he flinched and put his paws in front of him. It turned out the vines concealed what looked to be some sort of cave. The cheetah stopped in his tracks to take a few breaths. By now, he was rasping and wheezing. This relief would be short-lived, however, as he heard the sounds of the beasts drawing closer to the hidden cave. He kept running, hoping to find any hiding spots, instead stumbling across a circular room with a hewn out pedestal in the middle. A white orb of light floated above of the rock pedestal, and by now the buzzing had become unbearable for Claw. But something strange was happening: it was drawing him nearer to the light. Panic-stricken, the dark-red cheetah fought it off with all of his will. He could hear the shrilling cries of his pursuers; they had found the cave. Finally, his instincts told him that this was his only hope for salvation and he yielded to the force relentlessly controlling him. Quickly, he reached his paw out to the orb and a powerful surge unlike anything he had felt before exploded from the ball of light. He felt invigorated, as if a stream of energy engulfed his entire body.

The monsters had finally caught up to him. The one Claw had shot at before, apparently the head of the group, walked forward, its brothers flanked him. They were blocking his only exit. Both parties stared at each other for a moment that seemed like an eternity. Perhaps they needed to catch their breaths. Mechanically, the creatures from the sides began slowly inching their way to either side of the room.

"What do you want?" Claw asked.

The figures remained silent, ominously providing no answer for him.

"WHY DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME?!" He exclaimed, finally breaking under their overwhelming presence.

Claw frantically darted his head from one figure to another. Waiting for them to attack. Suddenly, the one on his left decided to initiate the first blow. He heard the blade whistle above his head as he ducked from the slash. Immediately, he whirled around the pedestal and stumbled to the back of the room. The figures didn't make a move, they chose only to observe. Claw, on the other hand, had lost all hope. His arms were spread apart and his paws were clutching the wall of the room. He closed his eyes and prayed to the ancestors for a quick death.

_"Fight!"_

Claw opened his eyes. The monstrosities began to creep closer to him.

_"Go on! Fight..."_

**A/N : To be continued. If it sounds good to you now, then I predict that my writing will probably get worse from here on in.**

**Anyways, onto the rest of the chapter... [first added 12th of July, 2014, 4.29pm]**

A low commanding voice boomed in his head, resonating with immovable authority. _"It can't be," _Claw thought in awe, _"are they… speaking to me?"_

"_I am not these 'Ancestors' that you speak of,"_ the voice in his head responded.

Claw was dumbstruck. _"You can read my thoughts?"_

"_Yes, I can,"_ the baritone voice responded hastily and in an annoying tone,_ "but now is not the appropriate occasion for explanations, wouldn't you agree?"_

Of course Claw agreed, but the creatures were still slowly cornering him.

"_Now fight for your life!"_ the voice in Claw's head commanded.

"How?!" he bawled desperately, this time out aloud, "I'm outmatched!"

The three figures now loomed only a few feet in front of him. They were preparing to strike…

"_Use your instincts,"_ was the only cryptic reply.

All of a sudden, something clicked in Claw's mind, and as the leader pounced at him, he punched the figure on its chest with all of his strength, letting out a loud roar in the process. He could feel the shockwave of the blow course through him as the creature was thrown backwards into the pedestal behind it, smashing it into bits, and then hurled all the way to the exit of the room. Claw inspected his paws, his face awestruck. He slowly flexed his fingers (yes, their paws have fingers) and payed no attention to anything else.

"By the Ancestors, this is awes-"

He quickly strafed to his left before he was able to finish that sentence. The creature to his right decided to use the empty moment to catch him by surprise. Sadly, all it could hit with its blade was the wall. Now its weapon was lodged tight and it was struggling to remove it. The red cheetah's ears folded behind his head as he let out a _hiss_. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Claw was prepared to use his… claws… and newfound strength to tear and maul the beast apart, before suddenly realising the other creature was right behind him and ready to help its comrades. He again dodged, this time to his right, to avoid the downward slash coming from behind him and turned to grab the blade to pry it open from the beast. They struggled for control of the blade and for a brief moment of observing the creature's wrist, Claw saw that their weapons were directly attached to the limbs. Disgusted by this, he used the claws on his left paw to rend the wrist of the creature. Claw heard the sound of bones cracking, and black ooze spurted out of the creature's wrist. It shrieked and writhed in agony before Claw tore the sword straight from the tendons of its limb. Finally, he thrust the blade into the creature who was doubled over in pain. It penetrated straight through its chest, but it was still moving, still breathing. _"Still alive?"_

As if trying to squash a spider in his hut, Claw continually slashed with his newly acquired weapon at the beast. Black blood erupted from all directions, letting out a foul smell, the beast's form was torn to shreds, and its spine-chilling cries filled the room. Claw ignored it all as he struck the thing more than ten times before finally ending its life. Eyes wide with shock and a bloodied face filled with terror and madness, Claw observed the gore before him. He stood motionless for a moment before hearing the sound of rock breaking behind him. Swifter, he whipped his head around to look at the other creature, the one who had finally pulled its weapon out of the wall. Without wasting a single breath, it charged almost blindly at Claw, its blade held above its head. Without any more time to react, Claw extended his left paw towards the trajectory of the strike in a ditch effort to try and stop it. To both of the fighters' surprise, Claw had managed to grasp the blade before it went anywhere near his head. However, blood trickled down the blade and his paw, but it wasn't the black sludge that came from the creatures, it was dark red and thinner. It was his. Without a second thought, he used his sword hand to slice the blade from its wrist. The job was done cleanly, and with the creature disarmed and on the ground like its partner before it, the red cheetah smeared in black blood bore down both of the swords into its gut, creating an 'X' formation. Then, with a groan and a grimacing face, he separated both blades and sliced toward either side, cutting the creature straight in half.

Claw gasped for breath as he let go of both of the blades, traumatised at what he had just done. It wasn't necessarily the sight of blood, guts and gore strewn along the dark walls and splattered on the rough ground that surprised him. Rather, it was more because of the fact that he was capable of doing such a thing. The shaken cheetah contemplated this for a while before slowly heading for the exit. Just as he was about to leave, however, the creature he had hit all the way into the other side of the room had stood up on its two lower limbs. Its formless body was weakened from what Claw had done to it earlier, but it was still a threat nonetheless. He drew his bow and nocked an arrow. Pulling it back to full draw felt effortless for him, so he pulled even further and even harder. By now the stone head had gone past the wooden frame itself. The cheetah didn't bat an eyelid as he took aim at the exact same spot he had hit the creature-the spot with three shafts lodged into it-and released. This time, however, instead of stopping at the surface of its hide, it followed through its chest and exited from the other side. It wasn't enough, though, as the thing still staggered towards him. Claw fired another two arrows, both piercing the chest of the creature, before it finally fell to the ground. Three at the beginning, then three more to finish it off. The cheetah then approached the monstrosity and kicked its lifeless body to check whether it was still alive. It didn't even twitch.

Silence finally drowned the room. It was as if Claw had miraculously sailed through a storm in a small raft.

Slowly, Claw began making way out of the Ancestor-forsaken cave. After finally exiting the cave he embraced the cold fresh air that enveloped the forest. He looked up, expecting a wonderfully blue sky and a bright golden sun, only to be greeted by an infinitely long mist.

Visions of his battle flowed through his head as if he was struck by a lightning bolt and nausea suddenly overtook him. At last, when he couldn't take it anymore, he decided to hurl in a nearby bush. He was eternally grateful for being given another chance at life.

"_The sights of war can take some getting used to…"_

Again the authoritative voice spoke to him telepathically.

Claw wiped the bits of vomit on his mouth off using the sleeves of his robes. _"You owe me answers…"_

"_That I do,"_ the voice replied, _"but for now, you should return to the village and rest. You have been through a lot in such a short amount of time."_

Claw nodded even though nobody was physically there and made his way through the forest.

"_However,"_ the mysterious voice interrupted once again.

Claw stopped in his tracks to focus on what it was about to tell him.

"_You must keep your abilities a secret. Otherwise the repercussions may be harmful for us both."_

Claw perfectly understood what it was trying to say. Having physical abilities that surpassed normal limits would likely frighten people to no end. He would perhaps be treated like a monster and looked down upon by the other tribe members. However…

"_You never told me exactly what these _abilities_ were,"_

"_Most of your physical abilities you have discovered on your own. The rest you do not need to know at this point in time-"_

"_So there's more to it than just my strength?"_ Claw quickly intervened after hearing what he had wanted to hear.

The voice paused, contemplating what it would say next, _"…Yes."_

Claw decided to abruptly end the conversation. All he wanted right now was a warm fire and a soft bed, and the only place he could find such things was back at his village. But first, he had one more piece of business to attend to.

After a period of wandering around the forest he had found the body of his dead hunting partner sprawled along the forest floor, but the deer was nowhere to be found.

"_Scavengers, probably_," Claw reasoned.

He inspected his partner. The cheetah's eyes were open, but they were staring blankly at nothing, and the sheen on his blue fur had faded. Most of Claw's remorse was numbed by the previous incident. The remaining amount was still enough for him to scathe himself.

"_I'm sorry,"_ the entity tried to console him.

Claw immersed himself in a moment of _'What ifs…'_ and thought about what he could've done to help him. But it only made his mourning worse.

Carefully, he lifted the body and hauled it over his shoulder. It felt absurdly light.

"_Are you sure you are capable of bringing him back?"_ the voice asked.

Claw smirked, clearly confident in his new abilities, _"Don't worry, this won't slow me down at all,"_

With those thoughts, Claw finally headed for home.

His assumptions were correct; lifting the corpse did not slow his pace. In fact, he was even able to walk faster than during his hunt. His strength and endurance had drastically improved.

Locating his way around the forest proved to be more difficult due to the surrounding mist. There was no way for him to tell his bearings because the sun hadn't revealed itself for the past few weeks or so. His vision was also limited by the thin veil, so any landmarks or visual cues from afar would be useless to him as well. He would have to really only on his limited sight, the scent of the game they had chased and his near perfect memory. The young cheetah had been hunting in these parts for years. The memories of this forest engraved in his mind so strongly that using he may as well have been blindfolded.

Furthermore, not only was he trained in the ways of hunting, but also in actual combat, and was even able to fight with the cheetah warriors during the siege of Warfang to assist the dragons and the moles. During his stay in the Dragon City, however, he wasn't even able to catch a glimpse of the purple dragon, Spyro and the feared Terror of the Skies, Cynder. All the more reason he envied the eastern tribes.

Claw continued on his journey, all the while dragging his partner's lifeless body with him. To the untrained eye, it seemed as though one was walking in circles. That the same pattern of trees and bushes just kept repeating itself. Claw however, could easily see through this façade. He could recognise every detail of each tree and memorise exactly where it was and when he saw it.

As he kept his brisk pace, the seconds turned to minutes. Then to hours. Until he realised that the environment wasn't as bright as it once was-and that he was still holding a body. The sun was setting.

Claw decided to setup camp on a nearby tree. He sat on its base, in between two roots, and carefully put down the body nearby. He took out his bow, and examined its frame. It had split almost entirely into the middle, the front was separated from the back. After the immense strain he had put on it last afternoon, Claw was a surprise that it remained intact after all this time.

The night was eerily silent, there were neither cricket chirps nor hooting owls, and after a small meal of cooked fish, Claw easily let himself drift into deep sleep.

The cheetah awoke to the sound of birds chirping. His eyes were still closed, though. The felt cool on his skin, but it was countered by a warm patch across his legs.

_Wait a second?_ His eyelids felt like they were glued together, but he was determined to open them. To his pleasant surprise, sunlight shone down the exposed portion of the forest as if an angel had descended upon him. Slowly, Claw picked himself up moved into the light, allowing himself to be bathed in its glow. Looking up, he could see a clear blue sky dotted with white fluffy clouds.

_Had this anything to do with those creatures back there?_ He asked himself. This was puzzling for him indeed. _It may just be a coincidence…_

His thoughts were disrupted when he realised that his former friend was still lying motionless on the ground. Quickly, he finished the last piece of fish in his partner's satchel, then continued his journey.

So far, it had been uneventful. Even the voice in his head decided to stay silent the whole time. It was only until he had reached the river nearby his village that he decided to wash off all the black liquid on himself and his clothes.

As he was walking along, a wall composed of rows of sharpened logs could be seen from a distance, or at least the distance the mist allowed him to see. At last, the journey was finally over for the red cheetah.

He had arrived at his village.

**A/N : _*Phew*_ Thanks for reading my first ever attempt at writing FanFiction. Tell me what you thought about the story. Could you understand it? Was it cohesive? Did it flow properly? And more importantly mention the fight choreography, 'cos, let me tell you, there's gonna be a bit more of it in the next chapter (I think...)**

**Oh, and one more thing. If you don't like the name of my main OC, then feel free to give me some suggestions in your reviews. I admit I'm not very good at names so it would be greatly appreciated if you do suggest one for me (although that doesn't guarantee that I will change it at all :P)**

**Be seeing you in the next chapter...**

**Update [July 15, 2014. 11:03pm]: Greatly extended the chapter and modified a few parts. Also added extra goodies so as to avoid continuity issues following the next chapter.**

**Update [July 20, 2014. 9:00pm]: Took away any more deviations of continuity. Basically a last minute check before moving on to Chapter 2.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Western Village of Avalar

**A/N : Chapter 2. Originally was going to make this even longer than it originally was. But due to the time constraints which I regrettably forced myself to admit to as well as the unnecessary enormity of the chapter, I decided to split it off into another two chapters.**

**BTW, you know the combat I promised to give you in this chapter. Well... I lied. It's actually going to arrive two chapters later (was going to be just one other chapter if I hadn't split this into two parts). Sorry 'bout that. But y'know, the context, scene setting, characterisation, appropriate plot development and suspense. All that jazz that gives a story depth, and complexity and blah, blah, blah...**

**Instead, you guys get to see Claw's new skills in action! (In the next two chapters at least :P)**

**Chapter 2: The Western Village of Avalar**

There were multiple villages located within the Valley of Avalar, and only two of them boasted a larger size than the others. One of these villages settled in the East side, nearer to Warfang, and the other was situated on the West side, where Claw lived.

Most say that the eastern side is a more ideal location mainly due to its closeness with Warfang, the capital city of the Dragon Realms, and therefore can conduct trade more easily than their Western counterparts, which were more isolated from civilisation other than their own. However, Claw didn't really mind. He was perfectly content with his peaceful life in the Valley, especially since it was situated well away from the bustling cities. Moreover, there was also the beautiful view of the Twilight Falls, a place where Claw spent most of his time alone. Although he did feel slightly envious because most of the eastern cheetahs had met the two most powerful dragons in the Realms, Spyro and Cynder.

As Claw neared the village, two sentinels noticed his presence and stood from their posts. One of them had amber fur whilst the other had a darker shade of blue than Claw's hunting partner. Both had joyous looks on their faces, and then looks of horror as they saw the dead body Claw was holding.

The amber cheetah rushed forward. He was armed with a spear that had a curved blade with teeth on its front edge. Both of the guards wore leather armour on top of their garments.

"What happened?" the guard asked with concern.

Claw hesitated, but only briefly, to come up with an answer.

"Bandits," he finally decided on, "they caught us by surprise in the mist."

The guard looked up to Claw, anxious. "Come with me," the sentinel beckoned urgently using his head and his spear, "we must get him to the healer."

Claw nodded, and then immediately followed suit.

It was fairly early in the morning, but the village was already buzzing with activity. Cheetahs were walking along the paths to and fro, or talking with neighbours and friends.

Along the streets were rows of wooden huts suspended a few feet in the air using wooden beams and supports. On some of the houses, there were clotheslines hung along the front and fish being dried from the sides. Speaking of which, the smell, as well as roast deer coming from pots inside the houses, made Claw's mouth salivate slightly. He hadn't eaten much during his time hunting.

Like a wave flowing outward from Claw, everyone stopped what they were doing to take a glimpse at what had happened. Soft gasps could be heard among the eyeing crowd and some of the children had their eyes blocked or their faces pulled away by their parents or even other random adults.

The two cheetahs walked hastily through the crowd, not wanting to draw any more attention toward them. But the duration felt extended to Claw because of the amount of tension wrought upon by the many peering eyes.

Eventually they had reached their destination. It was recognisable because it lacked any wooden supports under it. The healer's hut was maintained at ground level to ensure that the wounded could be taken in without difficulty.

A cheetah wearing pure white robes laced with red appeared from the hut, curious about the commotion–or lack thereof. She was slim, shorter than Claw, and her fur was the more common amber colour.

A look of concern crossed her face as she switched her gaze to the dead body Claw was holding. Immediately she reacted, "Get him inside, quickly. I'll get the healer"

She ran into the hut as Claw and the guard approached. The soldier held a paw on his shoulder to stop Claw and turn his attention to him. "I'll go inform the Chief and the family of the deceased," he told him, "you go ahead… I'm sorry about your partner."

"I'll be fine," Claw said. He never really knew his partner well enough to truly be called a friend, but know him he did, and he was saddened nonetheless for his early departure.

The guard ran off to the left, toward the Village Chief's house. Claw entered the healer's hut and shut the door behind him using his right foot. The room was small, with only a few straw beds and a fire in the middle. Talismans hung from every wall, every corner, creating a spiritual atmosphere that flowed freely through the room.

Two figures entered from the other side of the room, the female cheetah from before and a more decorated male cheetah. His robes were more typical of ordinary tribesman, but he wore talismans along his neck and a large colourful headdress decorated with peacock feathers. A belt slung from his left shoulder to his right hip contained vials of mysterious concoctions. It was the healer.

He pointed with an open paw towards the bed nearest to him, on Claw's far right. "Put him down here," he instructed.

Claw walked over to the bed and carefully placed his long lost partner down. The healer immediately went to work examining the body. As he checked the dead cheetah's neck for a pulse, he asked Claw, "What happened to him?"

"Bandits," Claw answered simply, "they gave me a few injuries as well."

"Take a seat, I'll deal with you after I take a look at your friend here," the healer said, then with a solemn voice, added, "which probably won't take very long."

Claw took a seat on the bed adjacent. His head was down and his fingers were interlaced on his lap, along with his tail, which curled around his paws. He began to daydream to pass the time…

_He continuously slashed at the grossly contorted creature, who was lying on its side twisting and shouting in immense pain. Black blood shot into his clothes and his fur. Insanity was taking over his mind._

_Three arrows were fired at another creature, piercing all the way through its torso and out of its back. Black ooze was gushing forth from the exit wounds. He looked at his bow, the back and front of the wooden frame had almost completely split in the middle._

"_You must keep your abilities a secret." A deep voice in his head echoed over and over and…_

Claw's reverie was thrown off at the sound of a door slamming open. He quickly turned to see who had entered.

A male cheetah with brownish-yellow fur stood tall and proud at the entrance. His presence was different from the others. It filled the whole room with an air of royalty, making everything else seem almost insignificant. However, that wasn't able to hide the shock in his face as he saw the dead cheetah on the straw mat next to Claw. "By the Ancestors, let me take a look at him…" were his first words. He slowly walked around the fire to the healer examining the corpse.

Claw stood and bowed courteously to the seemingly important figure. Everyone referred to him as the Village Chief, Claw knew him as Gareth. The chief was distinguishable from the others as his torso and arms were equipped with metal armour. It and the broad sword slung on his left hip jangled with every step he took.

Moments later, three more figures entered from the doorway. The one leading them was another male cheetah who looked to be the same age as Claw, and stood just as proudly as the chief, with very handsome features. He was followed by a female and another male who was even younger than the rest.

Claw again bowed, this time at the trio. "It's good to see you, Lance," he addressed the first to enter.

"Claw! Thank the Ancestors, you're alright."

As soon as he finished his sentence, a voice yelled excitedly from right next to Lance. The female sprinted to Claw and hugged him, almost knocking him off balance. He warmly returned the embrace. "And you too, Tara."

They remained in this state for a while. When Tara finally let go, Claw looked at the youngest male in the room and nodded his head to show his acknowledgement of the cheetah's presence. "Mark," he said. The young cheetah returned the greeting with a smile and said, "How do you do, Claw?"

Lance, Tara and Mark are the children of the Village Chief. They were well known throughout the Valley of Avalar.

The oldest cheetah of the trio-now known as Lance-shook his head, and said annoyingly, "No need for formalities, Claw. We're friends. When will you finally realise this?"

"This isn't exactly a social meeting, Lance," Claw quickly rebutted, predicting exactly how his friend would react.

All four of them have been together for as long as they could remember, make it five if Claw's sister was included. Claw's father, Darius, had fought alongside Lance's father, Gareth, against the apes during Malefor's first attempt at conquering the Dragon Realms many years ago. Both had saved the other's life many times, and had built a strong friendship ever since. Not even the fiery lava pools of the Mountain of Malefor could keep them apart.

And thus, this bond had passed over to their litter. It seemed that history repeated itself, for Claw and Lance had also fought side-by-side during Malefor's second, and perhaps final, invasion attempt. Lance had been promoted to Captain after the war, but Claw chose to resign. His reasons for this remain unknown to most of the cheetahs of the village. They found it especially peculiar because he would've been promoted with Lance as well. Claw wasn't at all concerned about this, though.

Lance was the paragon of a leader. After all, he carries a noble lineage, bears good looks and can outsmart and outmatch almost all of his peers in battle. All except for Claw, that is, but despite his prodigious skill in battle, especially with the bow and arrow, Claw was perfectly content with living a quiet life in Avalar. Sure, his thought process may seem foolish to others, but then again, who in their right mind would enjoy participating in a devastating war anyway, especially one that had almost wiped out the Realms entirely?

Lance sorrowfully turned his gaze to the fallen comrade, agreeing with Claw's statement. "Yes, this situation does call for urgency."

"What about you?" he asked, turning his head back to Claw.

"Apart from this," Claw showed his friends his left paw and pointed to the cut along the length of his palm which he received during his scuffle with the monsters, "I'll be alright."

"Hold on a minute," Mark all of a sudden joined in their conversation, everyone faced him, "you escaped a bandit party, clearly outnumbered and with limited vision, with only that to attest for?"

Claw turned his eyes away from the group, "My partner helped somewhat."

"But you said you were caught by surprise, weren't you?"

Claw shrugged his shoulders, "I had my bow with me."

"Well, it seems to be broken," Mark pointed out.

Claw took his bow out and cringed at it ruefully, cursing himself for not coming up with a better excuse. Both Lance and Tara eyed the weapon with astonishment, clearly not having noticed this detail earlier. He hissed at Mark's uncanny perceptiveness.

"Dammit Claw! Enough with the modesty act!" the young cheetah continued his verbal attack, "you somehow dispatched or scared away multiple armed foes empty-handed and alone. And you came out virtually unscathed. There's no denying that. Clearly you are the most skilled out of all of us in combat. Every cheetah in this village respects you because not only can you pin a fly from a hundred yards away with your bow, but you are also the only one who is a match for Lance's swordsmanship and knowledge in warfare…"

Claw looked away, ashamed. Ultimately, Mark was correct. Even if the portion about the bandits wasn't entirely true, the dark-red hunter could've single-handedly eliminate a small detachment of marauders. If he were an ordinary person untrained in the art of combat, it would be reasonable for him to stay back and let others fight for him. However, it was precisely because of his adroitness in war that people have basis for calling him a coward after resigning from the army. It's just that nobody has had the courage to declare this.

"Why are you wasting your valuable skills on mere hunting trips? Quit being selfish and stop hiding-"

"Enough, little brother, please!" Tara jumped to Claw's defence, "we've already settled this issue years ago. Don't you remember?"

Claw felt something warm on his paw, Tara's emerald green paw brushed against his. "Don't worry about it, Claw. We all agreed to respect your decision. Some people just need reminding…"

Tara then shot a disdainful look at Mark. Taken aback, he looked to his older brother, who was standing right next to him, for support. All he received, though, was the exact same stare.

Unable to contest with them, Mark finally backed down, letting loose a sigh. His expression changed to that of regret, and then he said to Claw, "I apologize for my ill-mannered outburst. It's just that your resignation after the War came as a shock to all of us. We, the warriors of the village, looked up to you. It just isn't the same without you."

"It's fine, Mark," Claw responded, "I acknowledge that I'm not the fighter you wanted me to be, and I may return to the army soon to make amends. But for now, I can't go through another war like that again."

Memories went through Claw's mind, this time of an entirely different bloody situation. Quickly he repressed them before they captured him into the depths of his despair.

Lance saw his father and the healer discussing what had happened to the body. "It seems death likes to stick around, even if you try to avoid it."

The statement was clearly aimed at Claw, much to his dismay. Now the rest of the cheetahs had their eyes aimed at the scene adjacent to them. Lance and his fellow comrades may have been able to cope with war-trauma easily, but Claw was different. Something about his personality made him a tad more sensitive to the thoughts and emotions of other people. Struggling to change this proved futile, even after the many attempts to try and counsel him over this.

Two more figures entered the hut: a married couple. They rushed to the dead body and kneeled beside it.

The two stared in disbelief, unable to accept what they themselves were witnessing with their own eyes.

"So, it's true. Our son…" the female couldn't continue. Sadness choked her throat before she could finish what she was saying. Like an erupting volcano, she broke down, crying, lowering her head onto the straw bed where the fallen hunter lay in peaceful slumber.

Her husband, the deceased's father, held her lovingly into his arms, pulling her to him. They both shared a moment of remorse before the Village Chief tried to console them, "You're son was brave to venture out into that mist," he began, "he knew exactly the risks that such a journey entailed, yet he still rose to the challenge…"

A voice interrupted Claw and his friends from the heartbreaking scene. "What about you, Claw?" the healer asked. He stood in front of him, tapping his fingers on his arms that were folded as if he had better thing to do.

Claw understood. He then stood up, removed his cloak and quiver, and then took off his clothes. The healer inspected his lean but muscular torso, checking for any unfelt wounds or injuries. The only thing he could find, however, was the large gash on Claw's left paw, the one he used to catch the blade mid-swing.

Without anyone noticing, Tara looked the other way. Her cheeks were blushing slightly, and she softly giggled.

"This wound isn't infected, fortunately for you," the healer diagnosed, "let it be for a few weeks and it should be fine. Other than that, you're all good."

Mark raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised at this fact.

Claw thanked him as he put back on his robes and his cloak. Meanwhile, Gareth had just finished speaking to the parents and was about to make his way out of the hut, where a large rabble gathered to hear the news. The rest followed behind, and waited near the front of the small shack whilst the Village Chief stepped forward, approaching his people.

Claw observed the multitude of colours arranging the throng. A rich mixture of reds, greens, yellows and blues of differing shades await with deep anticipation Gareth's announcement.

"Fellow tribesman," he began, his gruff voice a sharp spear piercing through the void of silence, "it saddens me to inform you that one of our hunters was killed – murdered – by bandits."

Whispers could be heard from the crowd in response, like froth bubbling from the sea.

Gareth continued, everyone started listening silently again, "He will be remembered for his courage during a time of crisis in the Valley of Avalar. This courage ensured our village's survival, and the promise of better times ahead. The cowards took advantage of the mist and fought without honour. Now that this curse has been lifted, I assure you, any bandit that dares to set foot in our territory, or any other of our brothers' territories for that matter, will be given no mercy. They will think twice before crossing our path. So, go back to living your lives, for you are all safe."

For a moment his words hung in the air. Everyone awestruck by the news. Then crowd dispersed as normalcy returned to the village.

Claw turned to face the mourning couple. The mother held her head in her hands, sobbing. He approached the two. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect him. Though, my grief at his loss still cannot compare to yours."

The mother lifted her head, tears streamed down her cheeks like two little waterfalls, however her mouth managed to strain a smile.

"Thank you, for bringing back our son," she said.

"That's quite alright."

"It must've been quite taxing for you to bear such a burden, and at such a long distance," the father continued, "You've been nothing but a benefit to this whole village, Claw, even if you aren't part of the military anymore."

Claw shuddered slightly at the mention of his resignation, but no one could detect it.

"If there's anything we can do to repay you, anything at all—"

Claw put a paw in front of the pair before they finished. "No, there's no need for that," he insisted, "the opportunity to hunt with a brave and honourable warrior is payment enough."

Both cheetahs smiled at his compliment, and without another word, they walked away, back to their hut.

"Claw," a voice came from behind him. He turned the other way to find Gareth directly in front of him. The Village Chief's gaze never ceased to unnerve Claw. Despite the fact that they both stood inch for inch, the ageing cheetah's aura always outshone his.

"I wanted to inquire about the bandits' current whereabouts."

On the outside, Claw was calm and collected, but his mind was frozen. He needed to forge another lie, and a good one. Something that will ensure that they won't be able to see through his ruse.

"The few remaining survivors ran to the north, last I saw them, sir," he told the Chief.

Gareth raised his eyebrows in amazement and shock, and said, "They headed for the Mountain of Malefor? By the Ancestors, they're mad."

Claw watched him for a moment, waiting nervously for his next move. Gareth cupped his chin, lost in thought. Judging by his cluelessness, it seemed as if he hadn't tuned in to the group's previous exchange back in the healer's hut, but they knew better; most likely, he had heard every word. Although, in his infinite wisdom, and to Claw's relief, Gareth chose to switch to another topic.

"The mist had been bothering us for quite some time, but now it's gone. Quite strange, don't you think?"

Claw nodded in agreement. It was something unheard of, even the dragons themselves couldn't explain such a phenomenon. Nobody knew of its origins, either.

"Even the shaman's predictions were proved wrong. And they were using magical means of fortune-telling."

Intrigued, Claw suggested, "Could it have been something else entirely?" He was sure it must have something to do with those creatures back in the forest. Or so his intuition told him, however there were no connections with them whatsoever. Well, none that Claw could see from their appearance or actions. After all, something (or someone) might've been coordinating this from behind the scenes.

Whatever it was, the fact remains that Claw has to keep this a secret, for fear of someone discovering his new abilities.

"Never mind," said Gareth, "I'll look into it with the shamans later. Now, however, I have important issues concerning trade routes to attend to. And you, Claw-"

He placed a paw on his shoulder, then continued, "You should go back to your father, Darius, and let him see that you're alright."

"Yes, sir," Claw responded happily, and with that, he hurriedly made for his house, eager to return home.

**A/N : Thanks for reading Chapter 2. I hope you've all enjoyed it. I apologise for any edits I (or my editor) have missed or any poor use of language to describe and accentuate descriptively. After all, this is my first Fanfic.**

**Again, any reviews would be appreciated and very helpful in building up my so far average writing skills. Flaming, however, will not be tolerated.**

**Chapter 3 is almost done, btw. I actually wrote about half of it before deciding to split this Chapter, lol. So far, it's been an absolute nightmare. Not so much because of the scale of it all, but because there is SO. MUCH. FRIGGIN'. DIALOGUE. Which means I have to think more about not just what the characters will say next but also how they would say it and how this would add to their characterisation. And no matter how hard I try, I can't find any way to circumvent it without losing the plot's initial value. I may just simplify it a bit instead. Anyways, enough of my raving...**

**Hope to see you in the next update! :)**


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